PCB Has Made Up its Mind to Punish Khalid: Counsel

Karachi: The lawyer for suspended batsman, Khalid Latif, claimed on Monday that the Pakistan Cricket Board has already made up its mind to punish the national team player on charges of spot-fixing.

The 31-year-old batsman stands accused of attempting to spot-fix, accepting an offer by a bookmaker which he did not report, and luring other players into the conspiracy.

The player's lawyer, Badar Alam, said they are not expecting justice from the three-member tribunal hearing the spot-fixing charges against Latif.

"We don't believe we can get justice from this tribunal. Trial without our participation proves our reservations. How can you expect to have a fair trial when all the members of the tribunal served the cricket board in some capacity in the past," Alam said.

Latif and Alam had, on Saturday, boycotted the hearing of the tribunal headed by a former Lahore High Court judge, claiming all three members were former employees of the board and could not be expected to dispense justice fairly.

PCB's legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi has said the two were trying to sabotage the tribunal proceedings.

"Even if they don't appear for the hearings we can still proceed with any action against the batsman allowed under the Anti-Corruption laws and code," Rizvi said.

Alam demanded that the video recordings of the trial be released.

"They (the PCB) claim that they cannot release the video because it is their private matter, which proves that they've already made up their mind to punish the player."

Since the start of the proceedings in the Pakistan Super League spot-fixing scandal, Khalid and his lawyer have been at loggerheads with the board and even moved a petition in the Lahore High Court against the tribunal, but it was rejected.